Latest news with #MohammadSharab
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Victoria police criticised for Gaza protest tactics while thousands marched ‘freely' in Sydney
An organiser of a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne's CBD says demonstrators were left 'traumatised and confused' after police blocked their path at King Street Bridge – while thousands in New South Wales were able to march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Tasnim Sammak from Free Palestine Coalition Naarm told Guardian Australia police did not inform protest organisers they were going to block the bridge before they arrived on Sunday afternoon. Police had previously urged protesters to change their plans, claiming that blocking King Street Bridge – a major thoroughfare into Melbourne's CBD – could delay emergency services and put lives at risk. Sammak estimated about 25,000 people protesting against the ongoing starvation in Gaza and demanding a ceasefire marched from the State Library of Victoria through the city to the bridge and were 'shocked' to be met by a 'heavy police presence'. 'It was a huge display of force by Victoria police against civilians and against members of the public who have been protesting for over 90 weeks in Melbourne,' Sammak said. Images showed police in riot gear behind barricades on King Street Bridge, backed by a row of mounted officers and riot squad vans. Sammak said protesters initially sat down at the bridge crossing, with footage showing fellow organiser Mohammad Sharab urging the crowd to remain calm. 'We are sitting here for Palestine … peacefully,' Sharab said. 'We have women, children, vulnerable people.' Jordan van den Lamb, a Victorian Socialists candidate known online as PurplePingers, attended the protest. He said he was 'shocked' to turn on to King Street and see the bridge closed and police 'kitted out in riot gear, shields, horses, armoured vehicles, the lot'. 'I think they assumed that if they shut down the bridge, the protest would be less visible but really it's drawn more attention to the protest,' van den Lamb said. 'It would have just been done in half an hour if they hadn't closed the bridge. It's a bit stupid of them, really.' Sign up: AU Breaking News email He said police mostly stood silently behind their shields, with the main protest dispersing around 3pm as most attenders turned back towards the State Library. A 'small group' wearing masks and goggles stayed, van den Lamb said. Footage shows the group stopped traffic, burnt an Australian flag and spray-painted 'Abolish Australia' on to Spencer Street. In a statement, police said about 3,000 protesters gathered at the State Library on Sunday and 'despite repeated requests from police, they marched to King Street'. 'As a result of this, Victoria police closed the King Street Bridge and diversions were put in place,' the statement said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion They confirmed there were no arrests but they were following up a report that an egg was thrown at a person during the protest. Police did not answer specific questions about how many officers were deployed or the decision-making behind blocking the bridge, citing operational reasons. They said there had been no reports made to them of disruption to emergency services. Sammak said protesters were left 'feeling very traumatised and confused' by the police response, suggesting it was made at the 'the encouragement' of the premier, Jacinta Allan. 'The Sydney Harbour Bridge was facilitated quite freely and easily, and there was a positive atmosphere. So why in Melbourne did we have to face riot cops?' Sammak said. On Saturday, Allan had warned any protesters disrupting emergency services 'will be dealt with swiftly'. She defended her comments on Monday, telling ABC Radio Melbourne she had been focused on 'ensuring that safety wasn't compromised'. Allan said the protest was peaceful and backed the police response. She also said there was 'a small group of extremists behaving in an extreme way'. David Mejia-Canales, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, said there had also been a heavy-handed response to Sydney's protest. On Saturday, NSW police had sought an order to prohibit the protest going ahead but it was rejected by the supreme court. 'In NSW and Victoria we are seeing how anti-protest laws from the Minns and Allan governments are emboldening heavy handed policing and the repressive treatment of protesters and attempts to shut down protests,' Mejia-Canales said. 'Governments and police have a legal obligation to protect protesters, not punish or hinder people who are peacefully demonstrating and exercising their human right to demand justice.'
The Age
03-08-2025
- Politics
- The Age
100,000 march in Melbourne and Sydney to protest Israel's bombardment of Gaza
As the crowd approached the police line, organiser Mohammad Sharab called on protesters to 'prove to the world that this is not a movement that will clash with police' and told them to stay back or sit down. 'We are sitting here for Palestine … peacefully,' he said. 'We need to calm down, show everybody who we are. We have women, children, vulnerable people. We are responsible people. 'They are holding their guns, their weapons, against people who are protesting peacefully. Shame on Victoria Police, shame.' One woman wearing a keffiyeh approached the police line to say 'keep our children safe' and another protester told the heavily armed officers the police blockade was a 'waste of taxpayer dollars'. Protest marshals formed a line to keep distance between the police and protesters. Demonstrators chanted 'Free Palestine' and 'Not a target'. 'Thank you for blocking the bridge. You did our job for us!' one masked protester shouted at the police. Standing on the bridge a few metres from the police line, Kevin Bracken said he had attended most protests and all had been peaceful. 'It's right over the top, isn't it?' he said. 'It's sending the message, who runs Victoria? They couldn't stop it in NSW, but the politicians here are puppet masters. This is about what's happening in Gaza. This is about starving children.' After the larger protest dispersed about 3pm, a small spin-off group stopped traffic and started burning an Australian flag and spray-painting 'Abolish Australia' on Spencer Street. When asked whether they represented the broader protest movement, one person in a grey hoodie and black mask shook her head and walked away. 'We're just concerned citizens,' said another. 'No group.' They chanted 'Too many coppers, not enough justice' and 'Free Palestine' before police arrived and the crowd of fewer than one dozen people dispersed. Earlier in the day, former Greens candidate for Wills Samantha Ratnam addressed the crowd to roaring applause and clanging pots, a symbol of food shortages in Gaza. She said Labor was feeling pressure amid rising calls for Israeli sanctions and greater scrutiny on contracts for military parts. 'The more they minimise us ... the more and more they're being overwhelmed [by the] community telling them they're on the wrong side of history,' she said. Rally organiser Mohammad Sharab said the protests were about peace and humanity, criticising the media and politicians for calling the protesters 'extremists'. 'We stand for justice ... We are not ashamed of it. For those who call us extremist and antisemitic for standing against genocide, these extreme comments make you the extremist. That's my message to [Premier] Jacinta Allan,' he said. Palestinian activist Basil El Ghattis held up pictures of children aged from six months to 17 years old, suffering severe malnutrition from the aid blockade in Gaza. 'The starvation of Palestinians today is a page out of the colonial playbook,' he said. 'We must hold our government to account.' Earlier, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force repeatedly engaged with Melbourne protest organisers to persuade them not to gather on the King Street Bridge, but rally plans had not changed. She said officers would have a visible presence in the city on Sunday, with additional police brought in from outside metropolitan Melbourne. Police confirmed there were no arrests, but they were following up a report that an egg was thrown at a person during the protest Organisers from the Free Palestine Coalition said the police decision to bring in hundreds of additional officers was a waste of resources for a peaceful protest. 'Gaza is suffering from an ongoing forced man-made famine and ongoing bombing of civilians,' the coalition said. 'This is exactly why organisers are holding the protest to King Street Bridge ... to let the good people of the city of Melbourne know that there are atrocities happening in Gaza, and that we as a community have an opportunity to change the status quo, and bring about change.' Loading The Israeli government has denied claims of genocide and starvation in Gaza, claiming the war is an act of self-defence. Premier Jacinta Allan warned protesters there would be consequences for anyone who caused chaos in the CBD. 'There are strong operational arrangements in place for today. Those are in place to support people's safety,' she said at a press conference on Sunday morning before the protest. 'Anyone who breaks the law, anyone who compromises community safety will be dealt with swiftly by Victoria Police.' Opposition Leader Brad Battin said it was vital that rallies had to receive a permit to go-ahead and police were given powers to 'move on' protesters, to avoid circumstances where major roads were closed. '[The state government] hasn't brought the legislation in to ensure we've got registration of protests here in our state … to keep the community moving and keep the community safe,' he said. Last week, Police Chief Commissioner, Mike Bush, ruled out introducing protest permits in Victoria, saying they had not been a game-changer in other states. On Sunday, Battin urged the chief commissioner to reconsider, suggesting a stance against protest permits was the wrong message for Victoria. 'The chief commissioner has been here for a short period of time, not for all 92 of these protests that have happened in the city ... But the reality is, the legislation lies with the government.' The Victorian government last year announced it would criminalise face masks at protests and the use of glue, rope, chains and other devices that cause disruptions, but it is yet to bring the bill to parliament.
